1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an improved 35 mm lens shutter type camera provided with automatic focusing, and it relates more particularly to an improved camera of the aforesaid type which is highly compact in size.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In 35 mm lens shutter type cameras which are provided with automatic focusing mechanisms and which are now on the market, a lens position control device for axially moving the focusing lens elements of the objective lens system and for stopping the movement of these lens elements is located around the objective lens projecting from the camera body (see, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,307,950). Hence, the diameter of the objective lens barrel is consequently very large as is the height of the camera body since the range-finding optical system and the viewfinder optical system are located above the objective lens barrel and remote therefrom such that these optical systems are not blocked by the lens barrel.
The more compact a camera is, the more desirable it is for its convenience in hand carrying. Thus, such cameras should be as compact as possible. However, in the case of the 35 mm lens shutter type camera with automatic focusing, the arrangement and the location of the lens position control mechanism, that is essential to this kind of camera, was one of the main factors preventing suitable compactness in this kind of camera, for which the achievement of great compactness has been delayed in comparison with other 35 mm lens shutter type cameras lacking the automatic focusing function.